[Pinned] RP Etiquette, Tips, and Tricks

This is a repost of sorts. This thread was originally part of our old guild website, and now that we've moved, i had intended to repost it. Quite a bit of time has passed since I wrote the original, so a I've made a few adjustments to it.

The purpose of this thread is to stand as a reminder to members of our guild of the many nuances of RP Etiquette that are easy to forget. Of course, we also have new members who are new to RP in general, so I think it important to give a sort of introduction to how some of the more obscured bits of RP culture work. Everything will be put into spoiler tags so that the visual length of this thread is not as long, and to help organization.

But before we dive into the thread, let me just give you one rule to roleplay. One tight, unbreakable rule that trumps every other rule or tip or nuance in the entire book. A rule that you can always follow 100% to the letter and do well in Roleplay:

"If EVERY SINGLE PERSON involved in a roleplay is having FUN and is 100% fine with EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THE ROLEPLAY, and NO LAWS ARE BEING BROKEN, then that group is not doing anything wrong."

Simple as that. Keep that rule in mind as we move forward with this thread. In fact, if that's the one thing you take away from this thread, then I guess I'd be okay with that.

All of that said, there are going to be many times when you encounter situations where not everyone is having fun, situations where not everyone is enjoying the rp. So this thread is going to outline a series of Tips and Tricks to help you preemptively keep these situations from happening. That is to say, getting good [gittin gud] at RP Etiquette.

These aren't gonna all be hard and fast rules, but more some small tips and tricks involving RP culture that people who are newer to RP might not know.

Think of this thread, then, as an introduction to the wonderful world of RP, tips on how to make sure it's fun for everyone, tips on how to take the stress that some might feel out of RP, and some general RP etiquette. For those of you not new to RP, think of this as a gentle reminder of how to not be an asshole.

=-=-=

I'm gonna start out here with the Big Ones. The Big Three, I'd like to say. The Big Three concepts that, followed correctly, would eliminate 99% of common RP problems and mistakes. These are THE MOST IMPORTANT. So... at least read these. It would be nice if you did.

=-=-=

THE BIG THREE

1. Separate IC and OOC. Keep Them Far Apart. Never The Two Shall Meet

Let's start with some definitions here.

IC stands for “in character,” and refers to everything your character does and experiences, from their point of view. For example, when somebody says something directed at your character, or when your character says something, or when something happens directly to your character, these actions are happening IC (or, as we sometimes say, IC-ly). IC is the virtual realm. Anything that happens IC does not happen to you, and should not physically and/or emotionally affect you.

OOC stands for “out-of-character,” and refers to anything that happens to you. You, personally. For example, if I were to say something to you in voice chat or over skype while we were not in an RP, or if I were to fly to your house and slap you in the face, I would be performing an OOC action (or, as we sometimes say, performing an action OOC-ly). Things that happen OOC do, in fact, have the ability to physically and/or emotionally affect you.

One of the biggest mistakes new players (and... well... experienced players too...) make is unintentionally allowing the two to bleed into one another. Cal likes to rattle off a saying, that “IC actions have IC consequences.” And this is true. If your character does something IC-ly, then any consequence that comes of it will also be IC-ly. But bear in mind that the mirror is true as well. OOC actions have OOC consequences. If I call you a name, a rude name, in a skype conversation, I can expect you to respond in kind.

But bear in mind that OOC actions should never have IC consequences, and the mirror of this is especially true. IC actions should never have OOC consequences.

This can come in many forms. Sometimes, players get into an argument, and as a result a player might attempt to have their character do something unpleasant to the other person's character. Or, an IC fight might become so charged that both players become angry at one another OOC-ly.

These are all mistakes that happen quite commonly, and can be easily avoided by understanding that the realms of IC and OOC are separate, and should not influence one another. We can all be good friends, even if our characters want to kill each other.

“Oh, but Rissa,” I hear you crying out, wailing against this wall of text, “How can I deal with character conflict? Other characters being mad at mine make me so sad and stressed out!”

Well that's ok, because I'm going to address that in my next point...

2. RP Nirvana Can Be Achieved Through Detachment

Let me get one thing straight here: you are not your character.

I mean it. Even if you've crafted your character to be exactly like you in every way (really... don't do that... it's actually quite boring, I've tried it), your character is still not you. Things that happen to your character are not happening to you, and things your character does are not a reflection of what you do.

On the flip side, it is important to understand that the characters you interact with are not representative of their players. The thoughts and feelings their characters have are not representative of the thoughts and feelings they have.

Remember what I just said about separating IC and OOC? I mean separate them. I mean it.

I know, I know, you love your character. You spent hours fiddling with nose size sliders. You sat at the computer until your eyes bled, just to get their hair color right. You typed away at your keyboard for countless days, expertly crafting their backstory and personality, until it was just the way you wanted it.

I get it.

I, too, have sat at my keyboard and written character stories until the cheetoh dust was inches thick on my keys and my character profile was perfect.

And thus, I completely understand the disappointment that you feel when another person's character doesn't like yours. I completely understand the frustration that arises when something you say IC is misinterpreted and another character gets into a fight with yours. I get it.

But that's ok.

Shhhhhhhh.

It's ok.

It'll be ok.

Because you are not your character. Just because another character shot yours, you don't need to feel like the other player hates you. And if you become frustrated because of something one character said to yours, then you need to re-examine how attached you are to your character, and ask yourself if you are, in fact, too attached.

But of course, frustration doesn't always come from attachment. Having your character interpreted unfairly cannot be entirely resolved by you deciding not to care. And, nor should it! In fact, that brings me to my next big point...

3. OOC Communication Is Key

Talk to people. Seriously.

When roleplaying, you have to remember that the experience is shared. When you RP with somebody else, they are going to do things that you don't expect. They are going to have stories that they want to tell that you don't know about. They are going to have OOC thoughts and feelings that you won't know about. And, most importantly, they want to have fun in RP just as much as you do.

But characters don't always line up. Characters don't always like each other. And character stories are not always compatible.

In the OOC realm, it is inevitable that things will happen to characters that players might not want. Players may get their feelings hurt because they don't like the way a story is going. And, most importantly, other players have no idea what you want to do, if you don't tell them.

So talk to them.

Ask them about their stories, ask them what stories they want to tell. Tell them the stories you want to tell. Tell them when you feel uncomfortable with how a roleplay is going. Ask them if they are happy with how the RP is panning out. If you just sit there and stew, or sit there and let another player stew, and let frustration build up, then nobody is going to be happy when one party finally lets out all their frustration and starts an argument.

Open the channels of communication, and make sure that they are having as much fun as you are.

And besides, from OOC conversation can come some of the best ideas for stories. Like, for example, if both of your characters are interested in collecting rare wooden statues of rodents, but have never told one another about it, then they are missing out on an opportunity to nerd out about rare wooden statues of rodents. But if this were to come up in an OOC conversation, then all of a sudden there would be an idea for an IC event.

If you don't know what the other player wants to do, and if the other player doesn't know what you want to do, how are either of you going to help craft a story that both of you will enjoy?

If you don't know that you're doing something the other player doesn't like, and if the other player doesn't know that they're doing something that you don't like, then how are either of you going to work through that?

You won't.

=-=-=

Alright, so there they are. The Big Three. Literally the most important part of this thread. By learning and understanding these three concepts, and incorporating them into your RP style, you will find that you have a smoother and more enjoyable experience.

Many problems that I have seen arise between players have begun because one of these three concepts was disregarded or misunderstood. Many problems, in my experience, have come from a lack of communication between players, the inability to distance oneself from their character, and, on occasion, mis-interpretation of IC actions as OOC malice.

But I'm not done here. In fact, I've only just begun. This next section is going to be some smaller tips, tricks, and stuff about RP culture quirks that I think are important, and that I know some people might not understand right away, or might not even be aware of. This second section here is going to be written by not just me, but Cal and all of his other Officers as well.

Well anyways, let's get on into that, shall we?

=-=-=

THE FINER, BUT EQUALLY IMPORTANT POINTS

1. No Means No

We've all heard this phrase before, right? It's pretty easy to understand. Yet, for some reason, I have seen this broken in RP time and time again.

What am I talking about here?

Remember when we mentioned OOC communication? Well, when a player reaches out to you OOC and asks you to discontinue an IC action you are performing, you have to be ready to agree to do so. Generally this happens when your character inadvertently does something the other player is uncomfortable with. Yeah, I know, we talked about disassociating IC and OOC, but it is always inevitable that someone will become OOC-ly uncomfortable with something that is going on IC. This is especially true when things get heated IC-ly, either in anger or in character attraction.

Remember that there are going to be things that other players don't want to do with their characters. These might even be things that you want your character to do with theirs. But if they do not want to do something, even if you really want to so badly it hurts, don't.

And on the flip side, never be afraid to tell another player that you are uncomfortable with the way an RP scene is going. Chances are, they don't know. Chances are, they'll probably apologize and stop immediately.

And if a player doesn't stop when you ask them to, then maybe you need to re-evaluate how much you want to RP with them.

And if you don't stop when another player asks you to, don't be surprised when you suddenly find yourself banned from a group.

2. Don't Just Spark Interest, Be Interested!

You can talk about your character all day. Of course you can. After all, your character is awesome and cool, and I'm sure you want everybody else to know exactly how awesome and cool they are!

And that's great. People love awesome and cool characters, and most of the time, people love interacting IC-ly with awesome and cool characters.

But don't let every OOC conversation you have be dominated by you talking about your own characters. After all no matter how awesome and cool your characters are, no matter how imaginative you are, you can't RP by yourself. There are other players out there with other characters, and I guarantee that most of them are just as awesome and cool as yours.

Be interested in the other characters. Have your own character be interested in other characters. Express enthusiasm about another player's characters, because at the end of the day, if you are as interested in other characters as you are in your own, you will have a lot more fun.

Ask other players questions about their characters, and you might find out something you didn't know before. And it just might be something more interesting than what you've come up with.

3. Be Aware. Ask Questions First, Shoot Later

This ties in to OOC communication.

Always be aware of what the other player wants. Be aware of what the other player might be uncomfortable with doing. Be aware of the kinds of stories they have in mind.

When you keep in mind what other players want to do, you have a golden opportunity to write beautiful stories together. And that's the best part of RP, really. For many of us, it's like co-authoring a book. Each characters have their own stories, but weaving them together is the real fun of it.

But also keep in mind what other players don't want to do. Know what things make them uncomfortable, and know what things make them angry. And if you don't know, ask.

If you ever think that your character is about to do something controversial, ask the other player if it's ok to do it first. Cal talks about player agency, and its importance (see the section on God Moding), and part of that is preemptively stopping yourself from doing something that they don't want you to do to their character.

So ask questions first, shoot later.

4. Not Everybody Is Going To Think Your Character Is Great

Deal With It

5. Know The Rules Of The Space You RP In

Did you know that we have a Guild Constitution? We do.

And just like our guild, other groups and communities will often have their own rules and guidelines. It might be good to read those through before jumping in to RP.

6. Pitch An Event, Don't Just Pitch A Tent

So you've got an event that you want to run with your guild, and it's gonna be awesome?

Ain't that just the best? They're gonna love it. It's got mystery, intrigue, an NPC that betrays them... oh, and it's gonna be in the most ridiculous location, but all of it's gonna be secret! There will be so many twists in the plot, your entire guild will shit. So you start telling your guild that you're gonna have an event, and all you tell them is who is involved and that....say, something very general happens. And you're hyping it up and hyping it up, but keeping 90% of it secret, because it's gotta all be twists, right?

And you're advertising it, and trying to get people interested in it, all the while becoming more excited yourself. And, soon enough, you're just waving around the full force of your throbbing, meaty, fully erect RP Event Idea.

Well... sorry, but nobody's gonna show up.

You have to hook people in. Give them a little back story, maybe not-so-subtly hint at a couple of the plot twists! Tell them that there will be a mystery, or that they're gonna have to kill someone. You don't have to give them everything! But give them enough.

And write your events with the intention of including all the characters. Every character has a skill set, maybe come up with a task each individual skill set can complete. Or, better yet, generalize your event a little, so that people can show up even if their character can't help out equally.

This ties in to getting to know other characters and being interested in other characters. The more you know about a character, the better you can craft an event to include them in! And... the better you know a character, the better you can craft an event that won't inherently exclude them.

Take, for example.... let's say you want to do an event where everyone's characters goes to beat up a gang. That's fine, right? Fights are fun, and gangs are often full of nasty people. But wait! Let's say... one of the players in your guild has a character that is IC-ly part of that gang. Well... what then? You can't expect them to be at all interested in your event, right? What you have done is engineered a situation in which they have to be excluded. And that's... well, nobody likes being excluded from events. And you won't really like the feeling of having somebody be disinterested in your event.

Get to know other players' characters. Know what they're good at, what they aren't good at, what they like, what they don't like... only then can you come up with ways to properly include them.

Oh, and don't just make an event centered around your character where all the plot twists involve your character, and the whole story just is about your character's farm or ship or house. That is all backdrop. When you run an event, the story is about all of the characters that are there. Not just you and your NPCs.

Otherwise, you're just roleplay dick-waving. And nobody is interested in that.

7. Real Life Comes First

Always. Don't feel bad if you have to leave for any reason. Don't feel like you have to apologize for cutting an RP short, because your dog shat the bed or your mother is sick. It's ok. Just go.

And don't get angry at other players because they are busy. They have lives, and 90% of that life is a whole hell of a lot more important than you.

8. Parting Words Are A Common Courtesy

It's ok if you have to leave. It's ok if real life gets in the way of RP. But do us all a courtesy and tell us if you're leaving. Communicate your schedules to people. Communicate your time constraints to people. They'll understand. Even if you can't tell them why you can't be around anymore to regularly RP, at least just tell them that you're busy.

When you leave without saying anything, you leave open the storylines that you had with other characters. You leave open the conversations and relationships that didn't end, or didn't have time to develop. Not telling other players how long you'll be gone or if you'll ever be back can cause confusion, and prompts retcons and re-writes.

And if you decide to leave for a while without saying anything, understand that RP continues to move even when you are not there. Do not be surprised if other players' characters have moved on from yours.

By that same token, if a person has to leave from RP for a while, that's ok! Just make sure the both of you talk about where to leave your characters' stories, so that they can be picked up later. Wow... I guess you could say that communication is key, huh?

9. God Moding (God Modding)

Cal here. I wanted to help with a part of this, so I wrote this bit up. As with Rissa's parts, this has been looked over and edited by others, and I hope it will serve as a guide and a point of reference and reflection for folks.

So, what the hell is God Moding? They are two words that are sometimes thrown out a lot, and unfortunately, have become, in many situations, a catch-phrase that simply means “I DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH YOUR CHARACTER!” But, I think it's an important idea to talk about, and with any luck, we'll work towards a more concrete meaning as to what God Moding is.

So, as was touched upon in Rissa's sections, RP is a group exercise in storytelling. Everyone involved gets to contribute a bit to the story being told, and ideally, everyone has a chance to have their character shine. Granted, not every player or character wants to be in the spotlight, but everyone should at least be given a chance to bask in it, right? After all, that is part of the fun of Rping with others.

But, sometimes it is hard to let go of the spotlight, sometimes it is hard to let others contribute to what you may see as your story or your character. Rissa had mentioned before that a degree of detachment can solve a lot of problems Rpers face. This is especially true here. As soon as you start to interact with others, the characters, the stories you create are no longer your own. Don't get me wrong, you still are a part of them, and you should still have a say in what goes on, but you should never remove another player's agency without their permission.

Agency? What's that? Glad you asked! Agency is the capacity of an entity to act in any given environment. Agency is the ability of players and characters to make choices and interact with their environment or with others. Agency is part of the foundation of RP, and respecting the agency of others, and having your own be respected, is important to keeping RP fun.

Now, there are some cases where a story or event might call for a Game Master (GM). Why do I bring this up? Well, GMs are one of the partial exceptions to what we just talked about. GMs are afforded the power to determine the outcomes of character actions and how a story progresses, and they are afforded this power by their players. Now, a good GM will still afford players agency. They might place players in situations where their choices are restricted, but players should always feel that they still have a choice. After all, who wants to be a part of a story where their character is controlled by someone else, and nothing they do matters? That kind of defeats the entire purpose of RP, doesn't it?

So, how does all of this tie together? Well, in my opinion, God Moding is best defined as when a player, or players, take on the role of GM without consulting or talking with others (there's that communication bit again). Emotes that deny another player a chance to react, super powers that render the choices of others as invalid, or anything that removes the say another player has in a situation is, unless agreed upon earlier by all players involved, God Moding.

But what happens when players have conflicting ideas about what should happen next, or engage in conflicting actions? Well, then it's time to talk. Agree on how IC conflicts should be resolved. You can decide to use a dice system for conflicting actions taken against one another, or agree to a trade (i.e. I take a hit, you take a hit), whatever floats your boats. But you must talk, and you must agree on how to move forward. Be respectful of one another.

Finally, one last thing. Remember, RP is a group exercise in storytelling. Someone might come up with the basis for a story, but no story should revolve solely around one character. Even stories that focus on one character should present those involved with a chance to present, explore and develop bits of their own characters. Ask others to read your story outlines, ask them for feedback, bounce ideas off of them. If there is, in my opinion, one way to ensure that you do not rob others of agency, it is to actively involve others in writing, planning, and running stories or events.

-Cal

10. "...Then We Will Steal Cupid's Glory" (Building IC Romances)

Hello cupcakes,

I’m your friendly neighborhood Charlie and I want to talk to you about RPing romantic relationships. So, let’s get to it. It’ll be fun (or something), I promise.

Even More OOC Communication:

I can hear you groaning already, just looking at the subtitle. “Charlie,” you’re likely saying, “We’ve been over this.”

To you I say that yes, we have. And we’re going to go over it again because it’s doubly important when playing a romantic relationship. As mentioned in the OOC Communication section above, things need to be communicated!

While OOC and IC separation are very important (also mentioned earlier), sometimes IC things will mirror actual relationships. In this case, knowing what both people want for their characters in a romantic IC relationship is a must, similar to knowing what both people want out of an actual romantic relationship is a must. However, if you never talk with the person behind the character your character is pursuing, things will likely be short lived and end on a sour note. Never talking would not work in an actual relationship, and it does not work in an IC RP relationship either.

Likely the best solution to this issue is to get to know the player behind the character. Be sure they are someone you can communicate with, someone you can stand to talk with. You don’t have to be best friends, but knowing you are capable of talking things out on a regular basis will help you write entertained character stories that will last.

While RP is certainly one gigantic exercise in co-authoring, the analogy applies all the more for IC romantic relationships. Your stories will be all the more linked and your characters decisions will likely always impact their romantic partner to some degree. So communicate!

Don’t Start with a One Night Stand:

Now, before you jump on me over the title of this section, what I’m going to deal with are relationships made to last. What I am not dealing with is a flirtatious character that has unattached one night stands with everyone for kicks and moves on.

Does that mean a firm relationship cannot develop from an IC one night stand? Not necessarily, but nine times out of ten, it’s not a solid foundation. I’ve likely said it so many times some folks are sick of it, but of you want to build a lasting IC romance, have your characters get to know one another. This serves two purposes: It ensures your characters and stories are compatible, and it ensures your play styles can work together. It also gives your characters a chance to learn about each others quirks, if they have certain issues and so on.

Again, some IC thing mirror life, and this is one of those situations. The more your characters get to know one another before romance happens and sparks fly, the better shot they have at lasting. So if things don’t happen instantly, wait it out. Sometimes it takes actual months. And that’s ok.

The Art of Writing Stories Together:

IC romance isn’t just about what’s cute and cuddly. Like everything else in RP, it’s also about establishing boundaries and communication (Broken record, yes I know. Deal with it). If you’re going to jump in and become a fish in the ocean of IC romance, here are some things to keep in mind to ensure the story you write with romantic RP partners is fair and fun to both of you.

1. Establish boundaries:

Everyone has different comfort levels. Discuss what your’s are and what theirs are. If you both truly want this romantic story to happen, you will respect one another’s boundaries. Ensure that lines of communication are open and you can stop an RP at any time of either of you becomes uncomfortable.

2. Deal Breakers:

Everyone has deal breakers. Establish what their character’s are and what yours are. Does one of you not participate in ERP? Is that a deal breaker for the other person? If one character cheats, are you and your RP partner okay with that, or will it end the IC relationship? How will that be resolved? Knowing these things from that start will help story development and spare hurt feelings.

3. What to Communicate:

Romantic relationships may require you to share more information than general relationships do. If your character breaks their leg and will need their partner’s help for a while, it’s usually best to communicate that this is a turn you’d like the story to take. Just like with pitching events, you don’t have to give away all the secrets, but it’s a safe practice to ICly and OOCly let your partner in on a little extra. After all, your character’s stories will impact each other’s far more directly then they would if your characters were only friends or guild-mates.

Certain things like unfaithfulness, severe illness or wounds, absences, and the like should always be discussed OOC. While separation is important and should always be present, it still sucks to log in and find out your character’s IC romantic partner cheated on them or died.

Like with everything else, the secret to a strong IC romance is communication. Shocking, I know.

~ Charlie

11. Wibbly Wobbly (RP Timelines)

Charlie again,

Sick of me yet? Too bad. Take a seat and let’s talk time.

There’s been some confusions as to how it might be best to deal with time in RP. The simplest way to put it is that time is relative. RP does not occur on a physical timeline; which means my character can be in the hospital and still go to an event!

How? Allow me to lay it out:

My character breaks their pelvis in an RP on Monday. On Tuesday, they show up at a dance club event, perfectly fine, because I really want to go that event.

They can do this because I can take the fact they broke their pelvis and move it to any point in their time line I want. I can do the RP monday, communicate with people involved with my story line, and we can all agree that the actual pelvis breaking doesn’t happen till Wednesday.

The RP is done, we don’t need to do it again, but what we played through on Monday won’t actually take place in my character’s story till Wednesday. Or a month from now. I can put it the broken pelvis wherever I want it to go because RP time isn’t real.

And that, kids, is how RP timelines work and you can avoid missing all the fun things you want to do.

~Charlie.

12. Keep The Train On The Tracks (Avoid Derailing Events)

Just when you thought we were done, right? After all, you might ask, what else could we possibly cover? Well, kids, make some popcorn and pull up a chair, because we’re going to talk about derailing events.

So, you’ve made your character, you’ve had a bit of one on one RP. You’ve even read everything else in this thread. And now, there’s an event. Events are great! They’re the perfect way for your character to meet new people, and new people to meet your character. However, there’s a certain etiquette for such gatherings that will help things run smoothly.

And so I present you with this handy-dandy list of do’s and do-not’s for events!

1: Sometimes at an event the host(s) ask for everyone to take a turn and introduce themselves. It’s a nice way to make sure everyone knows names and provide a bit of interest. When this happens:

Do: Wait your turn and make your introduction in a timely manner when it comes around.

Do: Introduce yourself by name, and perhaps state your profession. Be brief.

Do: Pay attention to what other people are saying when they introduce themselves

Do not: Race everyone else for the privilege (not the right) to go first.

Do not: Provide a long explanation of your characters accomplishments, exploits, or the mole on their big toe. Introductions like this are not the places for paragraphs.

Do not: Follow up someone else’ s introduction with a million questions, an emote that takes a paragraph, or launch into how your character knows something about them or their profession. In this setting, a simple three word or one sentence emote or statement to acknowledge that you’ve seen their introduction is more than enough.

2: Introductions are over and it’s time to go talk to people. If you were paying attention to the introductions, you’ve probably marked a few people you’re interested in talking to.

Do: Approach the character you’re interested in talking to when they are open.

Do: Ask questions about that character and pay attention to the answers. Respond to the answers they give in a way that ensures them you are actually paying attention.

Do: Offer information about your character while following the conversation’s flow.

When you leave, politely dismiss yourself from any conversation you’re directly involved in. Aside from that, if you want to say goodbye to the group, make it general and short.

Do: Feel free to politely back out of the conversation if that character turns out to be a “me monster” that cannot have a give and take discussion.

Do not: Interrupt an ongoing conversation where no opening has been presented.

Do not: Ask questions about someone else’s character and then use the answers as a way to talk about your character and your character alone.

Do not: Only talk about your character not matter where the conversation is going. Discussions are give and take. Try to gain as much, or more, information as you offer.

Do not stand at the door and continuously announce your departure trying to gain acknowledgement from everyone present. At events the chat scroll is just too much for that sort of thing.

Do not: Be a “me monster”.

3: The above two cover the two largest categories of ways to derail events or make them difficult for other players and the host(s). However, there are a few more things worth mentioning on the subject of event etiquette:

Do not hog the host. If you need a private conversation with them, wait for another time. Events are so people can interact, not be dragged off into corners away from the event they are throwing.

Do not: Isolate yourself, sit in a corner, and then complain and throw a fit when no one talks to you. It’s ok for your character to have issues. All characters do. Events are not the place to air your dirty laundry or play “pity me or I’ll be pissed”.

Do not start fights unless it’s some all parties have agreed to before hand and the host is ok with it. If an unexpected fight starts, move it to another location.

Do not have a snog fest at an event. Seriously, just don’t.

Do not be rude to the events host and challenge everything they do. Especially on their plot. If you have a problem with how things are run, no one will force you to stay.

Do not try and show up your host. It may not be real life, but it’s still rude.

Do not do things that draw everyone’s attention to your character for the length of the entire event. It’s a shared space. Learn to share.

And there you have it, and it’s free, unlike anything brought to you by Protostar.~Charlie

13. Patience Is, In Fact, A Virtue

Hello again, lovelies,

I bet you thought we were done updating this thread. Nope. Now and then things still come up that make one of us (today that’d be me) go “Huh.”

So, I’m taking a moment to write about patience in RP. Namely, about patience with other people while in an actively flowing RP conversation.

“But Charlie, waiting for people is hard. My character has all of these really awesome and insightful things to say!”

I’m sure they do. Just as I’m sure the person you might be covering with does.

All characters have /something/ to say. And what they say can entirely change the direction of a conversation. In fact, my favorite part of RP is watching other characters react and do unexacting things with new, or even old, information! It’s fun. It is also part of the point of RP.

But often I see people who’s characters just keep talking if the other person does not respond in a minute or less. So let me put this to you now: Do not be that person. Have patience. Not everyone types as fast as you, sometimes there are RL distractions (Cats poop and carpets, Kids dump entire meals on carpets, phones ring) that don’t necessarily require and ask, but may slow the response. Sometimes the chat scroll is just really hard to follow. Give people you’re talking with a chance.

My personal rule of thumb is to wait about five minutes before adding more to what I’ve already posted. That may seem like a long time, but if you’re fighting a chat scroll in a busy place, it’s really not. I’m certainly not saying everyone needs to wait that long, but do give other people more than a literal minute to respond. It’s courteous, and a character that is open to hearing others responses, is also more interesting to talk to.

If you’re writing a continuous wall of text, you’re creating a one sided conversation. And then, you’re just RPing with yourself.